Stupid and irresponsible stunt, if you ask me, and probably only appreciated by those that got lucky. Those that got caught up in it, or missed out, won't be so pleased.
There's an old saying about no such thing as bad publicity, but it's patently not true. Ask Gary Glitter, for a start.
And having read that article, I came away with the opinion of “Electronic Arts = irresponsible idiots”, but don't ask me the name of the game, because I don't remember. Is that good publicity?